Blackstone Models HOn3 UTLX tank car Price: $54.95 (unweathered), $59.95 (weathered) ManufacturerBlackstone Models210 Rock Point Dr.Durango, CO 81301www.blackstonemodels.com Era: late 1930s to early 1960s Comments: A frameless tank car that hauled oil from Chama and Farmington, N.M., to the refineries at Alamosa, Colo. is the latest HOn3 ready-to-run freight car from Blackstone Models. The Union […]
MTH Electric Trains HO scale General Electric bipolar The General Electric bipolar 1B+D+D+1B is the latest heavy electric locomotive modeled by MTH in HO scale. Like the firm’s EP-4 and EF-4 “Little Joe” electrics, this HO bipolar has an array of sound effects and metal pantographs that raise and lower automatically or by remote control. […]
Atlas Model Railroad Co. HO scale Alco HH600/HH660 diesel locomotive Atlas Model Railroad Co. is reissuing its HO scale Alco HH600/HH660 diesel switcher, this time equipped with Digital Command Control (DCC) and sound. The authentic sounds and powerful controls add a new dimension to an already impressive model. When we originally reviewed this locomotive in […]
Atlas HO scale 73-foot center-beam bulkhead flatcar Price: $46.95 (undecorated, $39.95) ManufacturerAtlas Model Railroad Co.378 Florence Ave.Hillside, NJ 07205www.atlasrr.com Era: 1986 to present Comments: A center-beam bulkhead flatcar based on a Gunderson prototype is now available from Atlas. The full-size flatcar, designed for carrying building products, was introduced in 1986 and is still in production […]
Piko America LLC BR199 German diesel locomotive With its new model of a German narrow-gauge diesel, Piko has entered the market for G narrow-gauge equipment in a big way – literally. The two-motor, 12-wheel locomotive is more than 21″ long. The prototype for Piko’s model is a B-B diesel-hydraulic that was developed for the East […]
ExactRail HO scale 100-ton auto parts car Here’s another contemporary high-capacity HO scale high-cube boxcar that captures the look and tall proportions of a Pullman-Standard 7315 waffle-side boxcar used to transport heavy automobile parts. It’s a recent addition to ExactRail’s Platinum line, and it comes ready-to-run with scale-size magnetic knuckle couplers. It’s also the first […]
Digitrax Zephyr Xtra Digital Command Control can seem intimidating, making some novices reluctant to make the switch from direct-current power packs. An upgraded version of the Zepyhr set introduced several years ago, the Digitrax Zephyr Xtra 3.0-amp starter set packs everything needed to add DCC to a medium-size layout into a single box. Though it’s […]
Bachmann HO scale Climax locomotive Angled connecting rods whir away and the chuffing sounds of the exhaust become louder and more rapid as the Climax slowly but steadily climbs the hill. Is this a scene from the Appalachian backwoods? No, it’s the Bachmann Spectrum three-truck Climax on our HO scale Milwaukee, Racine & Troy layout. […]
Kato N scale SD45 diesel locomotive This well-detailed N scale General Motors Electro-Motive Division SD45 is an upgraded version of a Kato USA model first released in 1996. This model’s all-new mechanism is easy to convert to Digital Command Control (DCC). The prototype. Built by EMD beginning in 1965, the SD45 was the first locomotive […]
ExactRail HO scale deck plate girder bridge Price: $44.95 (late version), $36.95 (early version and kits) ManufacturerExactRail LLC1053 South 1675 WestOrem, Utah 84058www.exactrail.com Era: 1920s to present Comments: This assembled plastic model from ExactRail makes it easy to add a highly detailed deck plate girder bridge to an HO scale layout. The bridge is 72 […]
Walthers HO scale TrinityRail 30,145-gallon tank car Price: $39.98 ManufacturerWm. K. Walthers Inc.P.O. Box 3039Milwaukee, WI 53201www.walthers.com Era: 2005 to present Comments: This new Gold Line model from Walthers is based on a popular prototype from TrinityRail. The ready-to-run tank car features a one-piece body with separate ends, factory-installed wire grab irons, and numerous separately […]
Athearn HO scale 50-foot insulated boxcar This Athearn 50-foot insulated boxcar is based on a prototype built by Pacific Car & Foundry in the mid-1960s. The Genesis series car features a high level of detail, including trucks with rotating bearing caps, separately applied door hardware and uncoupling levers, and etched-metal crossover platforms. The Western Fruit […]
